Emerald City
Emerald City is the largest settlement in its area and a central hub for trade in not only Seattle but Cascadia on a whole. Founded by vault dwellers who fled the automated oppression of Vault 72, Emerald City has sustained steady growth for close to sixty years, forgoing isolation to instead welcome immigration from the wasteland. The Treaty of Capitol Hill was formulated by the inhabitants of Emerald City, and they benefit the most from the treaty currently. History Emergence Emerald City’s history is inescapably intertwined with Vault 72, even before the big opening in 2221. Vault 72's leader, the Overseer Intelligence, first opened the vault in 2178 and established a small outpost outside the vault door. Cautious or Callous Welcome to Emerald City! The Treaty of Capitol Hill Government The government of Emerald City is more heavy-handed than the other city-states in Seattle, and it is mostly controlled by the interests of the caravan houses and mercenaries. Emerald City elects its mayor democratically, but it is big money that controls who actually has a chance of running. The current mayor, Herschel Waley, was elected with the help of Lake Caravans, but he has proved rather unhelpful in furthering their agenda as of late. In their position, the mayor can wield expansive powers regarding the city whether it concerns taxation, law enforcement, ceremonial and representational functions, and to preside over meetings for the advancement of public welfare. The mayor has a small bureaucratic apparatus below him that is also important, with the most important one being the tax collector. Emerald City's tax collector has always been hated by the populace, but they are accepted as a necessary evil. Emerald City's present tax collector is an unremarkable man named Bravo who carries out his office with a quiet diligence. Law enforcement and defense are some other important parts of government in Emerald City. Emerald City's head of security right now, an appointed position, is Carson Nores, who is in the pockets of Jade. Nores is a lax enforcer of the law, but he has cemented his position by remaining close friends with the mayor. The security force in Emerald City is not well-equipped or well-trained, and it is generally regarded of something of a joke. The people in charge of defending Emerald City from external threats are thought of very differently, even though they are mercenaries. Deadhead Company, founded and led by Commander Draigh Cross, has defended Emerald City for close to ten years and have done a good job so far. Paid off by Emerald City's "tax dollars", Deadhead Company has been a topic of internal debate in the past. The members are mostly locals from Emerald City but often act in a brutal fashion antithetical to Emerald City’s “democratic” values. The mercenaries guard Emerald City's walls from the dangers of the wasteland and sometimes makes forays into Seattle if necessary. Within Emerald City, opinion on Deadhead Company is divided. Many residents of Emerald City dislike Deadhead Company for being mercenaries, but others like the mercs for being so effective and ‘badass’. Economy Emerald City's economy has remained rather stagnant in recent years, even though growth was promised from continued immigration into the settlement. Culture Points of Interest Deadhead Compound The Deadhead Compound, housing the eponymous Deadhead Company, serves as both an arsenal and a headquarters for the toughest defenders of Emerald City. Dick’s Drive-In Dick’s Drive-In is a pre-War restaurant that has been restored and given a post-War twist. Emerald City Church of the New Disciples Often referred to by the shortened E.C.C. by churchgoers, Emerald City Church of the New Disciples is Emerald City’s largest religious center and home to the the New Disciples’ newest Bishop, Maxwell Teague. Free Oregon Radio Station Free Oregon Radio Station is Emerald City’s lone radio station but is rather disliked for its highly partisan tone with many preferring to listen in on Harry Peters’s radio station. Pine Inn Though it’s name may say “inn”, the Pine Inn mostly functions as a popular bar for the residents of Emerald City. The Rice Factory Founded by industrious chefs formerly of Chinatown, the Rice Factory is Emerald City's destination for post-War Asian cuisine. The Space Needle Also known as the Miracle of Seattle and Death’s Needle, the Space Needle is the city’s most famous landmark (pre-War and post-War). Many Seattle residents say the Space Needle’s survival was by Divine Providence, but in reality, it was because the nuclear weapons used on Seattle were of rather poor quality. The Space Needle, designed by Edward E. Carlson and John Graham Jr. for the 1962 World's Fair, has graced Seattle skyline for more than three centuries and continues to do so today, now within the confines of Emerald City. Its elevators however were left not as intact after the Great War and only became somewhat operable after the establishment of Emerald City. Currently, the observation tower is used as a sort of tourist trap as well an outpost for Emerald City’s security to watch the city and surrounding area. After the establishment of Emerald City, the Space Needle also has achieved something of a reputation for suicides, with an average of eleven per year, earning it the moniker Death’s Needle. This in truth is nothing new, as on the day of the Great War every person on the Space Needle’s crowded top level either committed suicide by jumping off or died of radiation poisoning. Mayor Herschel has considered installing a sort of net below the tower’s top level to prevent the suicides but does not think Emerald City has the infrastructure to support such a project yet. Tate's Medicine Tate's Medicine is a medical clinic in Emerald City run by Austen Tate, the settlement's most skilled (and beautiful) physician. The property used to be a den for jet fiends who were cleared out when Emerald City was founded, so Austen bought the place for cheap and fixed it up. A hole in the wall with a big sign placed near the Deadhead Compound, Tate's Medicine is a very busy place at most business hours and mostly caters to caters to caravaners and mercenaries, the people who get injured the most often. Austen Tate also lives out of her clinic and buys chems to keep herself supplied to her out of the back of the building. Thornton's Headquarters Formerly an office building, Thornton's Headquarters serves as both the HQ of the Northwest Trading Company and the personal fortress of its owner Thornton. Vault 72 Vault 72 lies practically in the middle of Emerald City and sticks out like a sore thumb. The vault is the origin of the majority of Emerald City's population but is not remembered fondly. Built to both save humanity and keep them contained, Vault 72 was overseen by the Overseer Intelligence. The Overseer Intelligence, an autocratic Overseer computer, kept the vault dwellers on a tight leash and founded the small outpost that would become Emerald City to alleviate pressure within the vault after small revolution. Vault 72 did eventually erupt in violence again though, and that turned out to be the extreme detriment of the Overseer Intelligence. Most of the vault dwellers escaped the grasp of the despotic machine, and with the help of a particularly industrious hacker, they trapped the Overseer Intelligence inside Vault 72. Now, the vault serves as a tomb for the supercomputer that oppressed many ancestors of people in Emerald City. Notable Individuals Austen Tate Austen Tate is a doctor, an amateur scientist, and a descendant of the vault dwellers who settled Emerald City. Armed with an Auto-Doc and a sunny disposition, Austen hopes to do some good in the wasteland but has no illusions about how harsh her world can be. She has lived in Emerald City all her life and still lives there. Austen Tate spends most of her time at her business, Tate's Medicine, and she often eats out at The Rice Factory, her favorite restaurant, to meet caravaners and people from out of town. A quite amicable person, Austen Tate is seemingly friends with just about everyone in Emerald City. She is something of a social butterfly though and tends to not spend too much time on any one person. The one person Austen has spent a substantial amount of time with is Alana, the owner of a local clothing shop and the wife of Oscar Butcher. People have often wondered why Austen, beautiful young woman that she is, has not settled down yet, but there is a good reason for that. Over time as Emerald City's doctor and after witnessing numerous tragedies, Austen came to the conclusion, "Life is short, we're all gonna die and you can't stop it forever... so why not make each others' lives worthwhile and enjoyable? The only thing that matters is letting people know that you care about them, because whatever someone is, has, or can do doesn't mean a damned thing in the end." Austen knows how cynical the world is, and she has decided to stick to being kind while not getting overly attached to anyone. That has served her well so far, though their may be some problems looming on the horizon. Commander Draigh Cross Commander Draigh Cross is the leader of the mercenary Deadhead Company and one of the primary protectors of Emerald City. A mercenary through and through, Commander Cross has a penchant for brutality and a very high opinion of his own abilities. In other words, he's something of an asshole. Nevertheless, he, his power armor, and his mercenary compatriots have protected Emerald City for close to a decade now, and they have admittedly done a damn good job so far. He is not liked by most but instead feared or respected by many. As a teenager, Draigh Cross left Emerald City to wander the wasteland only to return years later with his mercenary company, later being hired to help defend his home. Commander Cross is particularly renowned for his defense of Emerald City in 2284 against Badlanders and in 2285 against some raiders from King's Council. He is a frequent visitor to Thornton’s Headquarters, The Rice Factory, and Dick’s Drive-In when he's not at Deadhead Compound. Seen as something of a bastard, Cross has a reputation for being unpleasant to people in Emerald City and as well as being a coarse vulgar person. He is also seen as being overly prideful in his attitude towards his power armor, something he recovered from the wasteland and has customized extensively. His reputation for being a boor is well-earned, but that is not all Cross is. He cares deeply about his men and shows it constantly, taking a deep personal interest in their welfare and always trying to ultimately keep them out of harm's way. That means Cross is friends with all the men in Deadhead Company, including Oscar Butcher, but has few other friends, including Thornton (on his good days). Mayor Waley has love-hate relationship with Cross, and both Nemesis Lake and Cross loathe each other. Commander Cross is also a very devout man (at least on the weekends) and regularly attends services at the Emerald City Church of the New Disciples. Enjoying the good things in life such as alcohol, chems, and women, Commander Cross is a no-strings kind of guy regarding romance. He swears liberally but tries not to overdo it. Mayor Herschel Waley Mayor Hershel Waley is the elected leader of Emerald City, the first not to be descended from those who emerged from Vault 72. Contrary to the view of many, Hershel is not overly attached to his category as an outsider, and he usually strikes more of a conciliatory role between the two groups in the town. However, Hershel is more attached to his family’s own traditions, being known to be a family man and a someone with principles. That partially hides his ability to network people and politic, things Herschel is quite effective at. He was born in 2245 to Lieber Waley, the controversial activist who advocated for a total end to Emerald City's xenophobia towards outsiders. Hershel was raised largely without the supervision of activist father and instead was looked after by his very traditional and overbearing mother Rebecca. Even though he was raised by two very strong personalities, Herschel never really developed many strong opinions of his own in his younger days. He remained mostly apathetic to politics and preferred to just smoke Geiger-made cannabis with his friends. Not even his own Bar Mitzvah aroused any strong feelings from Herschel. However, tragedy struck the Waley household soon after his sixteenth birthday with his father assassination at the hands of bounty hunters. After that incident, Herschel decided to finally take control of his life and do something important: bring justice to his father’s killers. Herschel did not even care about his father’s politics, he just wanted justice. The process of reaching justice was a long and arduous one that eventually sent Herschel into politics and ended with him in the mayor’s chair after campaigning on a “law and order” platform. Manila 'Gentle Heart' Mollor Manila 'Gentle Heart' Mollor is an independent mercenary who grew up in Emerald City, led to wander as far as the Colorado, and later returned home. The ‘Gentle Heart’ projects a hardass image with a suave personality, but this hides a deeper trauma that has been eating away at her for years. Manila may have learned how to fight in the wastes, but she lost something important in exchange for that experience. She tries to remain sociable though and is often seen in public, talking about her experiences and current events in Seattle as if nothing is wrong. Marko Bilobrk The scion of a prominent family from when Vault 72 was still inhabited, Marko Bilobrk is a grizzled caravan guard for the Northwest Trading Company of Croatian heritage. Marko has lost a lot in his life, and he has a rather apathetic or sometimes even nihilistic view of the word. He is a close friend of Thornton, who is rather amused by Marko’s vaguely philosophical ramblings. Nemesis Lake A descendant of dissidents from within Vault 72, Nemesis Lake is the leader of Lake Caravans and an individual still full of hope for the post-War world. Nemesis, a feminist and a lesbian, has a very dualistic view of the world with one group (herself being included) on the side of progress while the other group is on the side of repeating the same mistakes that caused the bombs to drop. Generally a very nice person, Nemesis is only really disagreeable when politics get involved and runs a relatively charitable caravan house, at least compared to her competitors. Oscar Butcher Oscar Butcher is a low-ranking mercenary within Deadhead Company, and he is one of the people who protects Emerald City on a daily basis. Oscar has quite a few opinions on things, being a devout Christian and a staunch traditionalist, but he prefers to keep his mouth shut most of the time, never being too outspoken. Oscar has an enormous amount of respect for authority as drilled into his head by his now dead father who frequently appears in his nightmares. For a mercenary, Oscar is a relatively well-respected member of society in Emerald City, and has a rather large social circle, aided by his lovely new wife Alana. Synixera White Synixera White is the restaurant owner of The Rice Factory, and she is an all around unpleasant person. Descended from vault dwellers, Synixera is one of precious people in Emerald City who still hold some form of bigotry towards outsiders. She may make good food, but Synixera is an entirely too paranoid person, worried constantly about radiation and unclean wastelanders. She has been forced to deal with more and more wastelanders in recent years, which has defrosted her somewhat. Synixera also has some rather amoral business practices, as more caps are good for her. Thornton 250px Thornton is the head of the Northwest Trading Company, the biggest single caravan house in Seattle. A post-War ghoul who mutated after escaping from Vault 72, Thornton lived a rough life out in the Wastes, which, combined with reading Leviathan, gave him a rather Hobbesian view on life. Thornton came to Emerald City soon after its founding with a clear vision for its future: a strong expansionist authoritarian state with himself at the helm. This goal has guided Thornton’s actions every since his arrival in Emerald City, and he is inching closer every year. Unfortunately for Thornton, his lack of compassion and pettiness has held him back and made a shifting cast of people oppose him over the years. Quotes By About Category:Places Category:Communities Category:Cascadia